Chair-desks, wherein a desk top and a seating surface are combined in a single, integral unit, have long been in common use as student desks in classroom environments. Typically, chair-desks comprise a tubular frame having a forward portion and a rearward portion. The forward portion defines a pair of front legs and a desk top support structure. The rearward portion comprises a pair of rear legs and a seat support structure. The forward portion and the rearward portion are typically connected to one another by one or more connecting elements.
Chair-desks are very awkward to store and to ship because of their large overall volume and irregular shape. Consequently, the cost to the manufacturer to store and ship chair-desks and the cost to the consumer (typically a school district) to store chair-desks is very large. Accordingly, there is a long-felt need in the industry for a method for shipping and storing chair-desks which would greatly reduce costs.